’Lowest On Record Since 1989’

Some startling figures came out of the California Association of Realtors Housing Affordability Index for the month of August, which was released today.

Ventura County remained at 13 percent for the second month in a row, which means that only 13 percent of the residents there can afford to purchase a home. That's a one percentage point drop from last year.

Los Angeles, which is immediately southwest of Ventura, fell to 12 percent, two percentage points less than the month before, two percentage points less than the state average, and five percentage points less than the same period a year ago.

People joke about an earthquake sending Los Angeles residents into the ocean, but we may end up wading in voluntarily if these prices get much higher.

City figures are available at this link. Here's the report from the Callifornia Association of Realtors:

LOS ANGELES (Oct. 6) – The percentage of households in California able to afford a median-priced home stood at 14 percent in August, a 4 percentage-point decrease compared with the same period a year ago when the Index was at 18 percent, according to a report released today by the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.). The August Housing Affordability Index (HAI) declined 2 percentage points compared with July, when it stood at 16 percent.

C.A.R.’s monthly housing affordability index measures the percentage of households that can afford to purchase a median-priced home in California. C.A.R. also reports housing affordability indexes for regions and select counties within the state. The Index is the most fundamental measure of housing well-being in the state.

The minimum household income needed to purchase a median-priced home at $568,890 in California in August was $133,800, based on an average effective mortgage interest rate of 5.87 percent and assuming a 20 percent downpayment. The minimum household income needed to purchase a median-priced home was up from $110,980 in August 2004, when the median price of a home was $473,520 and the prevailing interest rate was 5.83 percent.

The minimum household income needed to purchase a median-priced home at $220,000 in the U.S. in August 2005 was $51,740.

At 28 percent, the High Desert region was the most affordable C.A.R. region in the state, followed by the Sacramento region at 19 percent. The Santa Barbara region was the least affordable in the state at 6 percent.

C.A.R.’s September 2005 sales and median price report for the state and regions within the state will be released on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

Leading the Way...® in California real estate for 100 years,the California Association of REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 180,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

— The Boy in the Big Housing Bubble